Captivating Conversations is the Old Idaho Penitentiary’s educational experience series, featuring a variety of guest speakers and topics ranging from the history of the Idaho State Penitentiary to the issues facing correctional institutions today.

Experience a unique tour of the Idaho State Penitentiary and its rarely seen prison cemetery. Explore the final moments of incarcerated individuals and their final resting places. Discover why more than half of the cemetery is filled with “Unknown” markers (or often no markers at all) and why some names cannot be found in any prison register.

Cemetery Tour registration includes a self-guided tour of the prison the day of your visit and access to open site exhibits.

This event is FREE for Idaho State Historical Society Members!

NOTE:
– Guests must be 18 or older to attend Cemetery Tours unless accompanied by an adult. Recommended for ages 13+ due to graphic content.
– Tours are limited to 25 people per session.
– Idaho State Historical Society event tickets are non-transferable and nonrefundable.

Enjoy a summer Sunday at the Old Idaho Penitentiary in celebration of Dennis the Cat, the Old Idaho Penitentiary’s historic animal mascot. Join staff for Prison Pets presentations (free with your pet food donations for Simply Cats and the Idaho Humane Society), limited edition Dennis merchandise, food trucks, local vendors, and more!

Between 1952 and 1968, Dennis lived among the staff and residents of the Idaho State Penitentiary, becoming one of the site’s best liked and most respected figures. Upon Dennis’ death in 1968, the prison population buried him nearby within the main yard, fashioning a durable engraved headstone marking his resting place during his funeral services. Today, guests of the Old Idaho Penitentiary regularly pay their respects at his stone, the only marked grave within the prison walls.

Old Idaho Penitentiary staff and volunteers will provide site tours at 6:30/7:30/8:30/9:00 (limited capacity/first come first served), or take a self-guided tour and explore the Old Idaho Penitentiary on your own!

Bring a flashlight and dress for the weather. This event is recommended for guests 13 and older due to mature content and site safety hazards.

One of the site’s most popular programs, these events benefit Old Idaho Penitentiary education programs and operations. Join Big River Paranormal as they use their unique equipment and knowledge to attempt to connect with prisoners and guards of the past.

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is considered one of the most haunted destinations in Idaho, and has been featured on television shows such as Ghost Adventures, The Lowe Files, Haunted Towns and Destination Fear.

Individual registration is $40 each. Participants must be at least 18 years old (Photo ID Required). Arrive at 9:00pm, Doors open at 9:15 pm. Event from 9:15 pm to 2:00 am.

Looking for something other than roses or chocolates this Valentine’s Day? The Old Idaho Penitentiary is offering a unique alternative to your typical V-Day dates. Stroll through the site, snuggle up with your Valentine and find the true meaning of “ball and chain,” with special exhibits on love stories and love letters from the Idaho State Penitentiary.

Free for Idaho State Historical Society Members.

Admission includes our Valentine’s Day “Partners in Crime” scavenger hunt, featuring unique looks into the site’s historic residents and what they loved – love of money, love of power, or commitment to those they loved.

The site will be open for self-guided tours in all publicly accessible buildings. Dress warm and bring a flashlight!

Due to popular demand and at long last, the Old Idaho Penitentiary is offering guests a chance to stay overnight! Sleepless in Stripes is a simulated prison experience, beginning with check-in, mugshots and even a souvenir “uniform” shirt! Guests will have chowtime in the yard and inmate “rec” time activities, a ghost tour of the site with Behind the Scenes exploration, and an overnight stay in our historic cell houses.

This is an 18+ only experience. Photo ID is required at the door. 

It’s that time of year! The Old Idaho Penitentiary’s annual Halloween bash is back! Enjoy an evening of Halloween exploration at the historic Idaho State Penitentiary, with music, photo ops, food trucks, alcohol available for purchase, spooky history presentations, and bumps in the night throughout the site, along with the the Old Idaho Penitentiary’s haunted cell block, Terror on Cell Block 4 (Idaho’s only haunted cell house), and the Haunted Infirmary! Plus appearances by the Thrill the World dance group, The Delphi Oracles, Big River Paranormal, and so much more!

Notes:

Ages 18+ only (ID required at the door).

Tours of the historic prison cemetery will be available throughout the night as an add-on to your admission.

Please print or save your receipt confirmation for use as your event admission ticket. Old Idaho Penitentiary event tickets are nonrefundable and non-transferable.

Costumes are welcome, although masks and prop or real weapons will not be allowed. Costumes and props must be appropriate for general audiences, and must not impede the experience or safety of others or the site. Costumes deemed inappropriate may result in visitor being asked to change or leave, at the discretion of site staff.

Haunted Houses are not wheelchair accessible, and include stairs, uneven ground, low ceilings, strobes, loud noises, and jump scares.

Squawky was an alcohol that those incarcerated ‘brewed’ at the penitentiary. The name may have derived from everyone squawking like birds once they got a few cups in. Men who were incarcerated at the site grew their own fruit and vegetables, prepared their own meals, and even had a canning plant outside the walls where they could collect ingredients. Key ingredients and flavors that squawky might include were apples, oranges, potatoes, grapefruit, or prunes. Add in some yeast and sugar and let ferment for a few days – and you have Squawky!

In our SquawkyFest competition at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, in collaboration with Idaho Brewers United, we are asking breweries to concoct their very own version of ‘squawky’. Using the key ingredients of squawky, breweries will create their own beer/cider for the public to enjoy and vote on who’s is the best. Stroll around the site while sipping on your favorite breweries’ squawky.

This event is 21+ (Photo ID required at the door).

Admission includes site entry and exhibits, and tasting cup for the Squawky Contest. 

The yard is calling you… Enjoy the morning sunshine against the sandstone walls of the historic Old Idaho Penitentiary, as we present Yoga in the Yard! Previous yoga experience is suggested, but all levels are welcome (18+ only). This is a small, intimate experience, limited to 15 people per session (spaced properly for social distancing and the safety and comfort of our guests).

Guests must bring their own equipment and a water bottle.

Each December 14 marks the anniversary of the Old Idaho Penitentiary being open to the public as a historic site and museum! $1 admission! Tickets available at the door. Free for Idaho State Historical Society Members.

The prison first housed inmates in 1872 when it served the Idaho Territory. It became the Idaho State Penitentiary after Idaho’s statehood in 1890. 13,000 inmates called the penitentiary home at one time or another, including over 200 women, and inmates as young as ten and eleven years old. Today their stories are told through a wide variety of special exhibits and preserved cell house structures that allow guests to experience a taste of mid-century life as an inmate. The site also includes the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit, a world class collection of historic arms and armament dating back to the Bronze Age and featuring brand new exhibits on the war efforts of Idahoans during World War I.